Hayley Westwood

I'm telling you stories, trust me.

This time round is a re-reading for me, and though it has been many years since I last read this book it hasn't lost any of it's magic.
The story is full of beauty and horror, and is very poetically written. The theological debates about passion, love and everything else within the story are interesting, and it's almost like a fever dream where you aren't sure what to believe from the main characters.
I would definitely read again, and I feel like this is the sort of book where you would find something different in it on each re-reading.
Would definitely recommend.

I really didn't enjoy this book.
In parts it was interesting as the story unfolded, and the conflicting information from the coroner's reports to Roddy's account were intriguing, but overall I found the tone to be quite dull and monotonous.
Also, though some of it would no doubt be put down to characterisation of Archibald and the time this book was set, there were elements that were incredibly sexist. Referring to women as chickens and encouraging men to persue them when they've refused their advances.
I wouldn't read again, but I'm sure other people might enjoy this book.

A sweet little book about sadness.
I came across this book being familiar with Quentin Blake's illustrations of Roald Dahl. I think it is a really useful book for children to understand that feeling sad is a perfectly normal part of life.
I would read again and would recommend.

Sadly despite being a fan of Foer I didn't enjoy this book.

There were parts of it that were well written and poetic and philosophical, but I much preferred his other books.

I don't think I would read this one again.

I loved this book.

The way that Chris Hadfield ties the images to parts of the Earth that the reader can understand makes it so much more interesting and accessible.
Who knew you could see the smoke from Australian bushfires from space...

Some of these photos really do look like works of art, even though some of them highlight the real devastation caused by humans.

I would recommend for anyone who is interested in space, astronomy and/or photography.

This was a very moving biography. Like so many other people I grew up with films like Jumanji and Mrs Doubtfire, but there was so much of Robin Williams' life I didn't know about until I read this book.
I like that Itzkoff, while romantic in his sentiment, remains factual about the circumstances of Robin Williams' life and death. I think that is more respectful than anyone who might have speculated or theorised to make things more attention seeking.
It is always incredibly sad when someone takes their own life, regardless of the circumstances, and I feel this was a very humble and touching tribute.

‘Who knows why we love what we do? Why we are what we are?'

I really enjoyed The Water Dancer. Coates always has a poetic yet poignant way of writing, and although there were elements of this story that were fantastical (I don't want to give too much away) he still conveys the gravity of the situation/subject.

There are things Coates touches on in this book that I can well believe are based on true things - the section on Pennsylvania, the fever and the mass burial pits - ‘It struck me even here, in the free North, the luxuries of this world were built right on top of us'. It's easy to try to forget the horrific things that were/are done based on race, but I believe it is right to look these things in the face and acknowledge them. Coates insists on this with his portrayal of the tasked, the low and the quality in this book.

Hiram's journey is an interesting one throughout this book, and although he is a relatively young main character, there is a lot he has to carry.
I did find myself siding with Hiram and his emotions throughout most of the book, but found myself siding more with other characters in some points.
For example, when Hi is discussing Sophia's predicament regarding Nathaniel Walker with Corrine, his viewpoint is from that of slavery, whereas Corrine's is from the viewpoint of a woman. Of course she (or I) cannot ever truly comprehend the situation from the viewpoint of the tasked, but as Corrine herself states, being a woman is itself a form of being tasked. She is trapped and limited by the situation of her gender, and she will know herself full-well the way men in her society view and treat women, regardless of their race.
I think this viewpoint she has is true for any ‘minority' group - trapped by different power struggles or expectations and limited by this, despite the ‘position of power' you may be in compared to others.
Because of this I felt it unfair that her opposition to slavery and her attempt to alleviate the tasked in the way that she could (with her limited standing as a woman) was described as ‘a kind of vanity'.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I felt myself really being sucked into the story and though it wasn't always easy to read because of the content, it was easy to read because it is so well written.

I would probably read this book again and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Personally I found this book a little challenging to read.

While the historical aspects are interesting in the struggle of the characters and the change in power through Spain, Chile ans Venezuela, and the characters themselves have an intriguing story, I didn't find it very gripping.

The story read almost like prose, and as thiugh details were being listed rather than described for the reader. I also felt that despite the traumatic events that had happened, in parts it was quite romanticised.

There were some poetic elements that I enjoyed and some lines that stayed with me. For example: ‘if one lives long enough, circles close'.

I think other people would enjoy this book, and people who like historical stories that are part fiction should definitely give this a go.

The stories in this book were poetic, strange, otherwordly and haunting.
It's rare to read something so unusually vivid, but that makes the stories linger and stay with you for a while after you've read them.
I thoroughly enjoyed. I would read this again as well as being open to reading other works by Okojie. I would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book, and I did find a lot of the content enlightening.
I've read some books by other PoC authors before, and have been trying to make more effort to educate myself with others' lived experiences. Especially as I make the effort to promote social justice and equity in general, but am trying be as un-ignorant as possible and not exclude people unwittingly.
The musings on different terms and experiences were both interesting and scholarly, but also humourous at times, which helps when covering what is often an intense topic.
There were some things highlighted that I'd never considered before, such as the term ‘mixed race' and the connotations or implications of this. It made me want to do a DNA test to understand my heritage!
Overall I enjoyed this book. I would probably read it again/refer to it again for inclusion purposes, and would recommend others read it too.

I read a lot of books of different genres generally, but thrillers and romance are not my favourite genres to begin with, so while I liked this book it wasn't my personal favourite.

Overall the feel of this book was quite cozy and and it was a fairly enjoyable. The characters were pleasant and they were easy to keep up with - not always the way with thrillers or stories where there are numerous characters.

It was also my first book from NetGalley and I'm pleased I selected this book to start with.

I do really like this cookbook and I think Joe Wicks has lots of good and easy to follow ideas for recipes.

As with any cookbook some turn out better than others.

I hope at some point there will also be a vegan version of Lean in 15. I am not completely vegan myself but am lactosr intolerant so I often use vegan recipes to avoid dairy.

I use this cookbook regularly and would definitely recommend.

As a basic travel language book this does the job fine, but when trying to learn some basic phrases to learn conversational Swedish it isn't the best.

I'm personally trying to learn as I communicate with Swedish colleagues at my work place, and it's use is very limited, though no doubt it is useful for other things - i.e. to get by if travelling round Sweden.

A really great story. It made me laugh AND cry in parts - the main character Sam is funny and endearing, and the revelation in the story is quite hard hitting, but important.
I don't want to give too much away, but despite the hard hitting moments it does end on a very hopeful tone. I'd definitely recommend.

Before I read this book I didn't know the full details of what happened during the murders, and what I thought I knew included some of the false information that was spread by the media at the time. For example, the fact that they weren't actually on drugs when committing the Tate-La Biana murders made it that much more horrific and scary to me.
There were parts of the book that genuinely set my heart racing. And I'm glad so many of the family were/are incarcerated. The actual number of murders they committed will never be known.

I felt this was an important book to read to appreciate the facts, albeit there will always be biases or agendas in any account, but I felt Bugliosi and Gentry did a good job of portraying things as they happened.
People will always have difficulty seeking to understand Manson and any other psycopath or serial killer, because a rational ‘normal' mind can't ever really understand that behaviour.
What's interesting to me is that they all seem to spout the same things... about how they are a ‘reflection of society' and that society made them the way they are etc. How they are is their choice.
I don't believe Manson was intelligent in the way that other psycopaths have been - nor that he effectively manipulated people. My view is that he took advantage of the mistrust of authority within society at the time. It's easy to ‘manipulate' children, or people who have come from a bad family life where they felt they didn't belong.
Some of the family I believe didn't need any manipulation and that they themselves simply wanted to commit murder and other crimes. I'm not even sure I believe the explanation provided is ever what Manson truly believe or if he just made it up.

Overall I did enjoy the book. Probably not one I would read again, and I did feel that during the trial section it felt a little slow, but would definitely recommend.

I felt very conflicted about this book.

Overall the plot and depiction of story are strong. However, I wasn't sure who this book was meant to be ‘for'.

From the blurb it felt that the voices who should have been heard were those of the maids. But it didn't feel that way to me. It seemed more as though Skeeter was depicted as a heroine for her part when she wasn't set to lose that much from collecting and sharing the stories in the first place.

I appreciated the sentiment from the note Stockett added on writing this story, but I don't believe she can ever really write a story like this and really appreciate it from the viewpoint of those involved.
That being said, there are some books I've read that have also tried to tackle this topic thay have been appalling and much worse in their ‘preachyness', when the writers in fact have no experience to draw upon in the telling of the story.

Every positive review I've read of this book seems to be from a white woman, but when I've asked people who the book is supposed to represent (i.e. women of colour) they have been very unhappy with this book.
Because of this issue I am torn on how I feel about it.

I wouldn't read again, and for the reasons mentioned above I probably wouldn't recommend, though I may look to read some of Stockett's other books as she is clearly a talented story-teller.

I have a lot of admiration for Carrie Fisher, and I do think she is a great role model for so many.

I enjoyed this book overall, but mostly for her reflections on the diaries as opposed the diaries themselves.
I felt the notes from her younger self were a little too focussed on the love affair with Harrison, though of course they were reflective of what Fisher was experiencing at that point in her life. When we are young, relationships and love and all the drama that goes with it seem like the only thing in our world.
Having said that, if the affair had never happened it may have meant that Fisher would not become the same woman - so honest, outspoken and witty, and such an icon to people.


I would recommend and I probably will read again at some point.

I very much enjoyed this book. Biographies are not my usual first choice of genre, but if it is someone or something I'm interested in I quite enjoy learning more about them.

I've been to Disney World twice, and grew up watching Disney films, which have now evolved into a new era with Pixar and Star Wars.

I didn't know just how forward-thinking and ahead of his time Walt really was, but I can appreciate that after reading this.
From his ethics to his treatment of women in the workplace he seemed to have the right ideals.

This was told through a very romantic lens, and left me feeling sad at the end when it talked about his death, but whether you like Disney or not you can't really argue with the legacy that he has left behind.

This is the only book I've read on Walt Disney however, so no doubt there are other books that paint him in a not so flattering light.

I would recommend and did enjoy this book a lot. I would probably read again at some point.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book, but I'm sure anyone who likes suspenseful, romantic-type thrillers might enjoy it.

I felt it was a little samey with other books I've read, and the structure of how the story was going to play out was obvious throughout.

I wouldn't read again and didn't personally enjoy, but no doubt there are people who would enjoy this type of book.

Having read Submarine previously, which I very much enjoyed, I expected more from this book.

The story itself didn't seem to be anything original, and the characters felt to me as though they weren't fully formed.

I wouldn't recommend and I wouldn't read again, though it hasn't put me off reading other books by Dunthorne, as I did enjoy Submarine.

It's rare that I will rate a book with just 1 star, but I found this book pretty offensive.

I would not recommend, I would not read again, and I would not read any other books by D'Agostino.

I felt this book was very self-absorbed. It was not funny, and it was incredibly sexist.

I enjoyed this book, and it challenged my way of thinking, though I don't think it would be for everyone.

Part psychology and history it covers the different definitions and views on what happiness means; how it has changed and adapted over time.
There is no one right way to be happy yet humans strive for it in everything they do.

It was a very interesting book, and as usual, Derren Brown tells writes in a very poetic and beautiful way.

I would definitely recommend and I would read again.

I really enjoyed this book and the humour that Thurston used to balance a contentious topic.

I genuinely believe that the more people are able to have a voice and share their experiences, the more society as a whole will change and appreciate people for their differences. As opposed to imposing societal ‘norms' onto everyone dictating the ‘right' way to be.

I would definitely recommend. I would read again but have put this on my shared reading shelf at work in the hope it will be useful and entertaining for others as well.

I love Jon Ronson, and I purchased this book after watching his TED Talk with the same title.

He has a really interesting approach to people and the world, and the humour he finds in the often mundane make his work and his writings really enjoyable.

I like the way Ronson challenges people with this book. I myself have found myself being purposely voiceless in some forums (i.e. Twitter which I'm no longer a member of) because of the sheer amount of negativity and troll-like behaviour from people in the community.
Sometimes it seems easier to not be the one who gives a different view point, to avoid being attacked for it. But the bullying nature of the online world in the 21st century needs more people to stand up and counteract it.

I enjoyed this book, though my favourite of Ronson's is still The Psycopath Test. I probably wouldn't read it again, but I would recommend it.

This is the third time I've re-read